Keep Holding On
by Irma.Arisa.Laye
Summary: The long overdue sequel to my multi-chaptered fic, Let Go! The SPR gang can no longer take Naru and Mai's attitude towards each other- it's time to do something drastic! R&R please!
1. Prologue

**Synemyoa: **I've finally got the inspiration to write down the happy sequel to my sad, heart-breaking fic, Let Go. Honestly, I've forgotten about writing the continuation, what with all the crazy things happening in my life. However, after being asked about it by "Andreya" on Facebook, I found myself opening my old files and decided on which idea to use for the sequel. So, here it is- another song fic like the last one… using songs I've been obsessing about lately.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ghost Hunt, and never will. The lyrics of the songs I'll be using here aren't my own. _"Wish You Were Here"_ is Avril Lavigne's from her _"Goodbye Lullaby"_ album, and _"Parachute"_ is Train's from their album, _"Save Me San Francisco"_…

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><p><strong><span>KEEP HOLDING ON<span>**

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><p>"Mai, tea." Like always were Naru's first words to his assistant— a ritual, a greeting. Anyone who doesn't know the young man would feel as if they were merely a tool to be used, like a coffee maker.<p>

_Ha! I know Naru better than most people, but there are times I still feel like I'm only a coffee-making machine to him… Oh well, nothing new there._

"Coming." _What else can I say? It never changes every day, anyway._

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><p>It was another normal day at SPR, where everyone's as rowdy as ever, turning Shibuya Kazuya's place into their own café…<p>

Or not.

If a fly happened to pass by, its buzzing sound may even startle everyone present at SPR. Mai, who seemed either oblivious to the silence, or ignoring the tension was busy making her grumpy boss' energy drink of the day. As soon as she finished, she hurried to Naru's office. A few minutes later, to no one's surprise, she walked out of the building, the door banging softly, ringing into everyone's ears. After that, silence ensued once again.

Every morning during the last five months, this routine has never changed. Mai, after preparing Naru's tea would disappear for an hour, would come back later to fix Naru another tea, and only then would proceed to organizing files.

Surprisingly, the first one to broke the awkward silence was—

"I can't take this anymore! Someone needs to say something about this!" Masako, pink in the face stood up, huffing rather uncharacteristically.

Everyone was gaping at her like fishes, except for John. No one else aside from the kind priest expected this kind of behavior from the usually calm kimono-girl, who they also thought remained Mai's rival to winning Naru's affections.

"What are you all gaping at me for? Come on, and start giving your suggestions to make those two turn back to normal again!" She said, her words coming out sharper than intended.

"Whoa there, Masako. What happened to you?" Bou-san asked after an awkward silence followed the kimono-girl's outburst.

"I got over the stupid, dense, clueless boss you have there in that stupid, gloomy office of his! Isn't it obvious?" Masako hissed under her breath, stopping herself from shouting so Naru wouldn't hear her.

Everyone's eyes opened wide and they dropped their jaws. Months before, if anyone told them Masako would get over her infatuation with their narcissistic boss, and even insult him as much as she just did; then the SPR gang would have thought that person is nuts. Crazy. Insane. Completely dumb. Totally lost it. As it is, the medium truly has gotten over her crush bordering on obsession with Naru. The cause? Well, after realizing he really was in love with Mai, and Mai loved him too, she started losing the will to fight for him. Then, he started acting totally stupid and clueless and absolutely dense about the whole thing between himself and his assistant, and she just couldn't take it anymore. Bottom line, the whole situation awakened her hypnotized senses and was completely turned off.

"Well, I'm glad you finally opened your eyes that there's no one else for Naru but Mai. Even if I don't like your prima donna attitude, I wouldn't want to see you bawling your eyes out here, heartbroken and all that when he and Mai gets together." Ayako said all these without looking at any of them, playing with her hair and trying to pass it off as if it wasn't a big deal and her words didn't really mean anything friendly towards Masako.

"Ara! I didn't know you were this concerned about my feelings." Masako said, lifting her kimono sleeve to cover her mouth and stifling her laughter. Still, Ayako saw in the young girl's eyes she appreciated her words.

"Sooooo… Who's got any suggestions or tricks up their sleeves?" Yasuhara asked.

After that it turned into chaos, everyone started talking all at once. All crazy ideas, some too cliché, some too obvious that no one, not even Mai would fall for… and others just simply not up to par with the other ideas that it's not even worth anyone's attention.

"We should get Mai drunk and Naru has to take care of her." (Surprisingly, John's idea.)

"We should lock them up in a closet or some cramp place, so they won't have any choice but to kiss and make up." (Ayako's idea.)

"Let's get some guy to start courting Mai and Naru will be so jealous and possessive he'll put a stop to it and confess to her!" (Masako's idea.)

"Masako will talk to a pair of spirits who are lovers, and we'll get them to possess Mai and Naru. They'll make out and then the spirits will get out of their bodies in the middle of it. They'll be so caught up with it, they'll just be together." (Yasuhara's idea.)

"We splash Mai with a bucket of water. She'll have to take off her clothes, and when she's only wrapped up in a towel, we'll lock her up somewhere with Naru." (Houshou's idea.)

"Hey, that's like a copy of my idea, except yours is perverted! You copycat! No originality!" Ayako complained.

"It's not a copy. It's a Takigawa Houshou original and everybody knows it!" Houshou retorted back. The miko and the monk continued their petty bickering, only to be cut off by Yasuhara.

"Hey, where did Kasai-san run off to?" he asked. Just then, the door to Lin's office opened and said girl came out from it with the Chinese man.

"Lin-san and I came up with a wonderful idea!" Kasai said excitedly.

"Let's hear it then!" Bou-san said.

"Well, see it's like this…"

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><p>So, the peace and order was restored. It was another normal day at SPR, where everyone's as rowdy as ever, turning Shibuya Kazuya's place into their own café… Everyone scheming and thinking up plans to get their boss and his assistant together at last－and finishing just in time as Mai opens the door and starts with her filing without even so much a glance to everyone.<p>

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><p><strong>Synemyoa: <strong>So? What do you think? This is just the prologue, so the song starts 'playing' on the next one! I sure hope you liked it… Please review and tell me what you think! (I'm always open to suggestions, even complaints and flames!)

**mARi: **So, what exactly are your plans?

**Chiaki: **Lock up Mai and Naru inside a one-room apartment for a week or two. *Depends on their progress. Stock up their food supply, clothes and other basic needs.

**mARi: **Nice! Have you already found the right location? _*Chiaki nods her head*_

**Lin: **Leave booby traps all over the house that will lead to compromising situations and will hopefully get the two stubborn fools closer.

**Chiaki: **Set up house rules that the two need to follow or else be punished in really embarrassing ways.

**mARi: **I never would have thought Lin-san would think of such things... It's shocking that I think... I love you more now! _*I turn my sparkling, heart-shaped eyes towards the uncomfortable Lin*_

**Chiaki: **If you think that was evil of him, wait 'til you hear this- He suggested we should install some hidden cameras and microphones at random places in the house, to monitor their progress & catch some embarrassing moments!

**mARi: **Oh, I love you Lin-san! Please, please, say you'll marry... Madoka-san!

**Lin: **Wouldn't one normally say, "Marry me" after that kind of declaration?

**mARi: **Well, I love you and all... but you and Madoka-san would look better together! Don't you think so, Chiaki-chan?

**Chiaki: **Hmm, now that you mention it... Want to go and plot with me to get Madoka-san and Lin-san together after Naru and Mai?

**mARi: **Ooh! I'm in! I'm in! Let's go! _*We skip our merry way out of the room, leaving a terrified Lin*_

Please do leave a review and tell me what you think! *smile-y*


	2. Chapter 1

**Synemyoa:**Thank you to all those who reviewed! Sorry for not updating right away. Real life is pretty hectic for me right now, because we're having our school festival next week—WOOHOO! (**Disclaimer**) I still don't own GH… and with that said, here's the first Naru POV chappie with the song—Wish You Were Here by Avril Lavigne!

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><p><strong><span>KEEP HOLDING ON<span>**

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><p>Oliver Davis a.k.a. Shibuya Kazuya a.k.a. Naru (the amazing narcissist) was the first to arrive at SPR, and was fairly relieved about it. The past five months was pure torture on his part, not being able to hold a proper conversation with Mai… okay, they rarely had those even before the awkward phase they were in now; but still, he didn't even have the courage to make fun of her and rile her up anymore. It was pretty pathetic—he was pathetic. He didn't even realize just how important she was to him before she was gone, and she wasn't even 'really' gone per se… but she will be soon—if he didn't hurry up and make a move on her. Or so his deceased twin brother says.<p>

It was shocking at first. When the awkward phase started causing a rift between Mai and him, he somehow started hearing a different voice in his head. Sometimes it was a whisper, sometimes it seemed to be shouting at him, and other times he can barely make out what it was saying. It wasn't long before he realized it was Gene who was trying to reprimand him and telling him to treat his assistant better before it was too late.

Too bad, he didn't listen more to Gene. Now, it's all too late and he doesn't have a clue how to fix things…

**I can be tough****  
>I can be strong <strong>

He has always been a stubborn jerk, he knows that. Still, he's never been good at expressing how he truly felt. That was more of Gene's specialty, and one of the many things he envied him for. Thinking about it now, there were a lot of times when he could have told Mai his honest feelings, but at that time he was being his insufferable self and trying to convince himself he wasn't really in love with her.

_What's the use of being all powerful and strong, when I'm such a wimp when it comes to these emotional things…?_

**But with you; i****t's not like that at all  
><strong>

A lot of people said he's changed ever since he met Mai Taniyama. At first, he didn't want to admit it, because he didn't like the idea of changing for anyone else. Still, Mai was like a deadly virus creeping inside his computer-like self, destroying the systems and barriers he built around himself. He should have realize earlier on that no matter how strong his PK powers maybe, he was no match to her powers to love and care. She forced her way in inside his closed-off heart, and violently opened the doors without a need for a key.

**There's a boy  
>Who gives a s**t <strong>

_Gene… Gene! What do I do? You have to help me! Ge—_

His thoughts were cut off when Mai entered his office. He didn't even hear her knock because of how caught up he has been with thoughts of her and their 'problem'!

"Naru. Here's your tea. "

"Just put it down there, thank you."

"I'll be going out to buy some sandwiches for everyone down at the newly opened café three blocks from here. Would you like anything?"

"I'll leave it to you…"

"Okay. I'll be going then."

After Mai closed the door, he couldn't help but let out a strangled sigh. It was always like this lately. Even though he started taking Gene's advice and started treating her nicely, like saying 'Thank you' when she brought him his tea, or opening the door for her in the rare times they arrive almost at the same time… She never even gave any indications that she cared one bit or noticed the changes in him.

…_and still, that stupid twin tells me it's not yet a lost cause. For all I know, she may have found someone else at that cram school she's been attending to get ready for college._

**Behind this wall  
>You just walked through it<strong>

"Mai… What am I going to do with you…? What do you want me to do?"

He's been a sighing a lot lately, and he knows his and Mai's interaction is affecting everyone else, as well. He wouldn't be surprised if one of these days Lin snaps and calls for Madoka to meddle and try to fix things between Mai and him.

"Ha… Just as long as she actually helps and not make things more complicated, I wouldn't mind putting up with her bossing around."

With thoughts of Mai and how to resolve the situation between them occupying half of his mind, he started his sure to be not-as-productive-as-he-planned work for the day.

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><p><strong>mARi: <strong>Soooo? What did you think? :)

**Eugene: **It was good. Especially since you wrote that less than an hour... Oh, and please don't refer to me as 'Eugene'.

**mARi: **Oops! Sorry about that. Will you review then?

**Gene: **... I think you're forgetting I'm dead.

**mARi: **Oh! ...and a fictional character at that!

**Gene: **Hmph! See if I ever come around to talk to you after you finish a chapter! *walks out*

**mARi: **Byeeeee! *waves at the retreating back of Gene who pointedly ignores her* Thank you or reading, minna! *bounces off to read some PJO fics*


	3. Chapter 2

**Synemyoa: **Another chappie! Before that though, let me tell you a bit about our school festival! It was loads of fun, I tell you. I ate a lot… (yakitori, tonjiru, cream stew, cheese cake, chocolate cake, candies, sausages, and some more I can't remember) LOL The school festival wasn't only for food. There were a lot of performances from the Kei-On Circle, the Modern Dance Club, the Acapella Circle (which I'm part of!) and some other clubs. Surprisingly, not all the bands sang Japanese songs. There was this band of boys who rocked the stage singing Simple Plan and Linkin Park. Boy, could they scream and shout… and sing, of course! I was so nervous during our Acapella group's performance, but it went okay. Not perfect, but okay enough. LOL I don't think I suit singing in a group. I'm better off alone. It's so hard to harmonize with everyone and sing above their voices when it was my lead part. XD

So…. Ghost Hunt isn't mine. I don't wish as much as before anymore that it was. I do wish I have my own Naru or Gene.

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><p><strong>KEEP HOLDING ON<strong>

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><p>When did it become like this? Why? It wasn't supposed to be like this. It used to be so fun working with SPR. Now, it's all so strained. I was stronger now, definitely more in control of my abilities than before. Despite that, I didn't feel as safe as before during cases.<p>

_Maybe it's because I'm not as close to Naru as before…_

I'm still in love with him. I told him as much and he brushed me off, pushing me towards his deceased brother instead. Was I really so annoying to him? Wasn't it enough that I'd do anything for him?

_Well, I'm just a lowly servant, after all…_

Gaa! I hate this. Any minute now, I'll start my pity party for one again. It's almost surprising how Naru's so loose with me lately. Maybe he does feel the tension and awkwardness. I thought for sure he'd be ignoring it. He's an expert at doing that, after all—ignoring people he doesn't like, pretending something isn't happening if it's too much for him emotionally. I wish he'd grow up and just tell me to leave already, fire me if he really couldn't take my company anymore. If it's the tea… I could always train Masako or someone so they'll be able to brew it as I do.

_Ha… Times like this, I wish Madoka-san was here to lighten things up. She'll be able to set Naru straight, too!_

_Oops! __Gotta __give _His Highness _his __tea __now, __less __he __gets __grumpy __and __weird __again!_

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><p>"Naru. Here's your tea. "<p>

_Always the same line… Gosh! It's like I'm in a really screwed up play, where I'm unfortunately the poor maid who fell in love with her awfully rich, intelligent and handsome master… Unrequited love sucks big time!_

"Just put it down there, thank you."

_Thank you… He said it today, as well. Weird. Now you see? There's obviously something wrong with Naru. He's been doing that a lot lately, acting nice and sometimes even sweet. It's not that I don't like it… but it just doesn't seem like him at all. It's freaking me out big time. I just choose to act the way he always does- act nonchalant and unaffected!_

_Ha! There Bou-san, and you tell me I can't act to save my life!_

"I'll be going out to buy some sandwiches for everyone down at the newly opened café three blocks from here. Would you like anything?"

"I'll leave it to you…"

_Is it so bad having a conversation with me? Does he always have to answer like that? Like he doesn't want to have anything to do with me, doesn't want to see my face or hear my voice… so he's always giving answers where I can't help but cut it and leave…?_

"Okay. I'll be going then."

_It hurts too much… and yet, you're still oblivious, as always…_

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><p><strong>I <strong>**wanna ****take ****you ****with ****me****  
><strong>**To ****life ****with ****no ****more ****yesterdays**

She rememberes the time she first realized she had fallen in love with her narcissistic boss. It was bittersweet even then. One would think a simple realization wouldn't hurt as bad as a rejection. Well, in Naru's case, just realizing you've fallen in love with him is as much as a rejection...

_...especially for someone as out of his league as I am._

**We ****can ****start ****again ****awake ****and ****so ****excited**

It was sweet in a way though. Thoughts of him got her through her boring classes at school. She did her best in everything because she wanted for him so badly to notice her. In the end, because of his casual insults to her intelligence, she developed a tough skin and an even tougher pride. She tried her hardest the last two years of her high school and left with an above average grade—something she would never have been able to do if it wasn't for him, for her dear Naru.

She used to daydream about going to some prestigious college and seeing that proud look on everyone's faces, especially Naru's when she goes up on the stage to get her diploma. She didn't just want his love and attention anymore; she wanted his respect, as well. She wanted to be treated as his equal. She wanted a lot of things for them… She wanted to build a whole new world where it's just the two of them and SPR—a family she found and created on her own. She wanted a lot of things for herself…

…_but __we __can__'__t __always __get __what __we __want__…_

**And change the way we always push  
>We always push<strong>

When Naru first broke her heart into a million pieces, it wasn't when he complimented Masako and respected the girl's abilities more than Mai's… It wasn't even when she confessed to him and he only told her she was mistaking him for Gene. No, it wasn't then. The first time probably hurt more than when he rejected her straight out and tried to pass her to his dead twin… Okay, no. Not really. Still, it hurt big time at the time. She can't even remember the details of that case anymore. She only remembers that moment, when she walked in on him and a possessed client he couldn't pry off of him. She only remembers how he complied to the ghost's final request before she was freed. She only remembers how he kissed their client. How he held her. How he told her, "You are loved." How he tried, albeit awkwardly, to comfort Misaki, their beautiful, long-legged, blue-eyed, half-German client. She left as soon as she could, without anyone noticing… Oh, who was she kidding! Everyone noticed except for him. He never notices…

There were times when she could even believe he actually felt something for her, too. Times when she felt as if he was just fighting it, but he was falling for her, too… but it wasn't meant to be.

"No matter how much I try to pull him towards me, he'll always only be pushing me away… What's the use? Why do I have to fight a losing battle? It's so tiring, so very, very tiring to love you… Naru…" She murmured softly into her cup of coffee, before continuing to stare at the sky, at the clock in the café, at the children laughing across the street… continuing to look everywhere except the happy couple at the opposite end of the room. It sounds so selfish, but she didn't want to see anyone so happy like they were when she was grieving for her love…

_Hang in there, Mai. You have to pull yourself together. If not for yourself, then do it for the others…_

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><p><strong>mARi: <strong>Thank you for reading... and if you have time, pleeeeeeeaaaaaaase do REVIEW! :) I'll give you cookies, or maybe call up our Acapella group members and sing a song for you...? *hopeful*

**Bou-san: **You should have invited me to your school festival. My band could have played there, free of charge just for you!

**mARi: **Really? Oh, man! You should have told me sooner... Oh well, maybe next year then?

**Bou-san: **We'll see, jou-chan. It depends on the date. We might be busy. *chuckles*

**mARi: **Well, if you can't come, maybe I'll invite John and the little children's choir from the church he's at right now. That would be so cuuuuuuute watching those little kids sing. *jumps up and down*

**Bou-san: **...

**mARi: ***still feeling hyper* Ooh! I'll go right now and ask John! Bye, Houshou! *skips away without looking back*

**Bou-san: **.. *picks up his guitar and walks away*


End file.
